


Defying Gravity

by PineappleandBlueberries1967



Category: Gravity Falls, Steven Universe - Fandom, Summer Job AU - Fandom
Genre: Bisexual Stan Pines, Crossover, Family Bonding, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gay Ford Pines, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Light-Hearted, Loss, Misgendering, Moving On, Multi, Pansexual Mabel Pines, Post SU:F, Soos Is A Sweetheart, Steven is clueless, Therapy, Trans Dipper Pines, Trans Male Character, Trauma, Twin bonding, Wendy is a badass, goofs, potentially triggering content, pre GF, slightl misgendering early on, soft grunkle stan, steven says fuck gender roles, summer job AU, weirdness barrier
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:48:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24308473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PineappleandBlueberries1967/pseuds/PineappleandBlueberries1967
Summary: During Steven's long road-trip around the country, he stumbled upon a small, sleepy town named Gravity Falls. However, once he enters the town, he realises that a mysterious force is keeping him in, and while he tries to break through the unusual forcefield surrounding the town, he must adapt to the strange new town he's trapped in.(Summer Job AU)Now has a tumblr!https://www.tumblr.com/blog/defying-gravity-au
Relationships: Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe, i'll add more as they develop, who knows - Relationship
Comments: 183
Kudos: 389





	1. Start of Summer

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING! I am a serial Fic-Dropper. If you're looking for a fancic with a neat beginning, middle, and end, you probably won't find it here! The stories I create I write completely out of enjoyment and fun, but my focus tends to shift easily and I can't promise to keep this fanfic going! However, if you don't mind reading a fun story with some hopefully beliable bonding moments then you're in the right place! Hold onto your hats, because It's about to get weird! (Wull Update Weekly,,, hopefully)
> 
> brx olwhudoob fdq'w ilqg d vlqjoh judylwb idoov idqilf zlwkrxw dw ohdvw rqh ri wkhvh, vr l'p grlqj lw wrr

Steven woke up just in time to see the sun begin to rise above the various hills that surrounded his current location. The sky was tinted with a wonderful orange, meeting a light blue that would soon overtake the sky completely. Small clouds floated by occasionally and the crescent moon was still visible in the early morning sky, but other than that, everything was clear. Steven sat on the edge of the cliff he was parked on, his legs dangling over the edge as he took a sip from the hot tea he carried in his flask. He looked down at the small town he’d been occupying for the last few weeks, silently contemplating his thoughts. His watch beeped and he quickly checked the time, smiling slightly. Connie would be awake by now. He pulled out his phone, clicking onto Connie’s name and typing out his regular morning message.

‘Despite my circumstances, this town really is beautiful. -S’ He sent the text and placed his phone on the grassy hill next to him, swinging his legs idly as he waited for her response. A few minutes later, his phone buzzed.

‘Any luck getting out yet? -C’ He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair before sending a quick reply. He thought back to when he’d first arrived here a few weeks ago.

_Steven sighed in annoyance as he made another turn, only to see the exact same scenery that he’d been faced with for hours. Thick forest surrounded him in every direction, with only one road that pointed forward. There was no sign of civilisation, no hint that he was close to any main roads, there was nothing. He was close to turning around and travelling back the way he came when finally, he came to a crossroads. In front and to the right of him was nothing but more forest, however, to the left he could see what looked like a sign. Lost, tired, and desperate for some semblance of direction, he turned to the left, driving towards the sign. The sign was faded, and he couldn’t see the words scrawled along the top, however, what was clear was an arrow, pointing to what seemed to be a town up ahead. He continued driving until he came to the top of a tall hill, where he immediately stopped, just to smile. At the bottom of the hill rested a small town, surrounded by forest and hills, but a town nevertheless. As he drove closer to the sign, he began to feel a strange sensation tingling through his body. Something that reminded him of his powers, but different somehow. It pressed against him, as if it too was exploring the power it felt within Steven. He considered turning around, going back the way he came and trying a different route. However, this was the first town he’d seen in days. He desperately wanted to stop and rest. To see someone other than his own reflection. He pushed past the feelings as he drove past the sign that welcomed him to the town- a place named Gravity Falls. The feeling disappeared suddenly, leaving his mind clear once again, and he slowly began to relax._

_However, the feeling didn’t last long. After a few days of relaxation, he decided he was ready to set onto the road once more, ready to tackle the seemingly endless sea of trees that awaited him. He drove towards the opposite end of town, waving goodbye to the people he’d met as he went. Just as he was about to leave, his car just… Stopped. It was if he’d crashed into something, as if there was a wall right in front of the car, but there was only road as far as the eye could see. His car wasn’t scratched, he hadn’t even been moved by the sudden stop, his car had just refused to move any further forward. Curiously, he stepped out of the car, walking up to the place it’d stopped. He reached out a hand, only to be stopped by something. An invisible wall shimmered underneath his fingertips. He moved slightly, but no matter where he moved, the wall remained. With more panic, he drove in the direction he’d first entered the town in, except there was a wall there too. In every direction he went, at a certain point, he couldn’t go any further. He waited until nightfall and tried to fly above the walls, but was stopped against an invisible ceiling. It was like one of his domes, except it was invisible and he hadn’t created it. No matter what he tried, he couldn’t get past it, and the barrier didn’t fade._

Breaking out of his flashback, he replied to Connie.

‘No, I still can’t figure out what kind of barrier is keeping me here. -S’ He paused, before sending a follow up text.

‘How long until you get here? -S’ He’d been worried about her coming at first, however, the barrier didn’t seem to mind regular humans, as tourists visited all the time, so Connie would hopefully be fine. However, he wasn’t sure if Lion would be, so she’d agreed to travel by car.

‘I should be there a few days after summer break starts! -C’ He smiled at his phone, that was only a week away, she’d be here soon. He missed her a lot, and hopefully with her here they’d be able to figure this out together. His watch beeped and he looked down at the time. His favourite shop was just about to open, and he had a plan in place. Being trapped in one place was hard, but it was the little things that kept him afloat these days. His weekly calls with his therapist, talking to Connie and the gems, and seeing the various locals of Gravity Falls.

‘I should get going, talk at 12? -S’ He sent one last text to Connie as he finished his tea, putting the Thermos back into his car.

‘Yeah I’ll call you! -C’ He slipped his phone into his pocket and casually walked to the edge of the cliff, hopping over the edge. The wind whipped through his hair for a moment before his floating powers kicked in, leading to a relaxing fall as he looked over the town. It was still shockingly early, with most other businesses not opening for a few more hours, which meant he was safe to use his powers without causing any panic. He didn’t really go out of his way to hide his powers, and he assumed most of the townspeople knew already, but he also knew there were some citizens that might not take it very well. So he mostly just used his powers when he was around people he could trust.

He landed on the grass softly, looking up at the Mystery Shack in excitement. The sign was already flipped to be open, so he walked through the front door with ease. He looked around the quaint wooden building, the smell reminding him of his home in Beach City. Creatures of indeterminable species lined the walls and various trinkets lined the shelves, but he wasn’t here to buy anything yet, he was here for a different reason.

“Good morning Mr Pines!” He greeted cheerfully, walking over to the counter. He remembered the first few times he’d visited the shack with fondness.

_One of the recommended spots in Gravity Falls had been the Mystery Shack. A small tourist attraction in the woods. He’d entered with wide-eye excitement, staring up at the various creatures lined along the walls. He hadn’t heard of any of them, but after years of fighting various gem monsters, he was all too happy to believe that they were real. He’d wanted to ask the owner of the shack about them, but unfortunately he was directing a tour at the time. He did manage to talk to the store handyman Soos who spoke highly of Mr Pines and he bought a snow globe for Connie, talking to the Cashier Wendy for a while too. As he left, he’d taken note of the stores opening and closing times before leaving._

_The next day, he returned at 7am- right as the store opened- and before any tours were set. The cashier hadn’t arrived yet, which meant that Mr Pines was taking care of sales. Steven had happily talked to him for a while, asking him various questions about the creatures he displayed. At first, Mr Pines had seemed reluctant, but as the conversation carried on, he seemed to start enjoying himself more and more. Steven bought gifts for the rest of the gems while he was there, simply giving Mr Pines a $100 bill and insisting he kept the change. He’d discovered from Connie later that day that most of the creatures Stan had told him about didn’t actually exist, but he didn’t mind that much. Getting a closer look at them, he’d been able to see the stitch-work and glue, but he still admired the creativity Mr Pines had for being able to create such monsters, as well as the stories he came up with on the spot._

_He visited the shack every day after that, and on the 5_ _ th _ _day- the day when he originally planned to leave- Mr Pines admitted himself to making up the creatures. He seemed shocked when Steven had admitted to knowing the whole time, but almost impressed too. Steven loved the staff at the Mystery Shack. Soos was always kind to him and everyone else, Wendy was relaxed and casual, and didn’t mind slacking off to talk to him, and Mr Pines was interesting, and though he seemed harsh, Steven could see that he cared for his staff and the business he ran._

Mr Pines grinned from behind the counter.

“Right on time kid! I swear you’re a robot or something, nobody should be up at this time in the morning.” He greeted back. Steven walked over to the counter with a smile.

“You are.” Steven pointed out.

“Not by choice, I’ll tell you that.” He grumbled slightly.

“So what are you getting today? I’m pretty sure soon we’ll run out of new things you can buy!” Mr Pines continued, slapping the counter lightly. Steven took a deep breath, his nerves beginning to race.

“Um, actually, I came here for a different reason.” He began slowly. He looked around the shop, his eyes flicking over the various items for sale.

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?” Mr Pines asked, leaning over the counter slightly. Steven steeled himself, standing slightly taller and forcing himself to meet Mr Pines’ eyes.

“I was kind of wondering… If I could work here? Like, as a job.” He explained. Immediately he looked away.

“It’s just, I wasn’t really meant to stay here for as long as I have and I don’t know when I can leave so I kind of need a place to work? I mean, I could ask my dad for money, but I left because I wanted to explore life on my own you know?” Steven rambled, clutching his white shirt tightly.

“You sure you don’t wanna work at Greasy’s Diner or something? You’d earn a lot more there than you will working for me.” Mr Pines questioned. Steven chuckled nervously.

“I mean yeah probably, but I really like this place! Plus, that might be hard because-” He cut himself off quickly, his eyes widening slightly.

“Because?” Mr Pines prompted. Steven looked at the floor.

“It’s a really long story, but… I don’t really have… Any I.D stuff.” He said slowly, wincing slightly. The Shack was deadly silent for a moment before he felt a hand on his shoulder. Steven looked up nervously, only to see the beaming face of Mr Pines looking back at him.

“Say no more kid, you’re hired!” He announced. Immediately, Steven lit up, smiling widely.

“Really? Thank you so much!” He ran around the counter, pulling Mr Pines into a tight hug.

“Yeah, whatever, as long as you don’t slack off or anything.” Mr Pines said, awkwardly patting Steven’s shoulder. Steven pulled away, still smiling brightly.

“I promise I won’t let you down Mr Pines!” Steven said happily. Mr Pines rolled his eyes, hiding a slight smile as he moved away.

“Yeah whatever, you start tomorrow.” Steven ran back around the counter and out of the door, practically skipping through town as he celebrated his new job. Even if he was stuck here for a while, at least he’d be helping where he could and having fun while he was here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now has a tumblr! Follow for Outfit designs, gem designs, behind the scenes stuff and more!
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/defying-gravity-au


	2. House guest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stan finds out that Steven has been living out of his car. What happens next is the Obvious Solution.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stan's a sweetheart confirmed
> 
> ALSO: WARNING! Dipper is Trans!Male in this, but neither Stan or Steven are aware of that yet, so there's slight misgendering later during the chapter!

The morning sun shone brightly through the clouds, reflecting off of the morning dew that clung to blades of grass. The weather was growing warmer, with summer just around the corner. That could only mean one thing for Steven Universe. Connie was coming soon. He floated through the air with a wide smile as he held his phone in front of him, showing the smiling face of his girlfriend.

“Just one more week! It’ll take a few days to get to Gravity Falls, but I’ll be as fast as I can!” Connie reassured, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. Steven watched the action with a warm smile, imagining that it was his hands that were running through her hair. He missed her more than words could say, it would be good to see her again. He only wished that the gems could visit too. Speaking of the gems…

“Tell me that the gems haven’t given you like 100 things to give to me.” He said as he landed on the ground, his shirt falling back into place.

He’d found that the town had an unusual weather pattern, spiking from one extreme to another in a heartbeat. Luckily, he’d packed more than one outfit for his road-trip, so he had something for every occasion. Today the weather had chosen to be unusually hot, so he wore his classic sandals, some black shorts a light blue sleeveless crop top. He’d noticed that most citizens didn’t really do the same, Mr Pines was always wearing that black suit, and Wendy often wore flannel, but he just figured that most of the town had gotten used to the unnatural weather.

“They wanted to, but I limited them to five items each. You still have a lot coming though.” Connie replied with a smile. She flipped the camera around, showing a pile of neatly stacked poxes in the corner of the room, each of them labelled for him. He groaned lightly, walking up to the door to the Mystery Shack. It opened easily, and Steven could see Mr Pines standing behind the register as always, counting the profit he’d made from the previous day.

“They do know I’m still living in the Dondai right? There’s no way I’m gonna be able to fit all that stuff into such a small car.” He waved to My Pines as he closed the register and looked up.

“Is there really no other place you can stay?” Connie asked, concern clear in her voice.

“I checked out the motel but… It’s not exactly nice. The place was falling apart, at least the Dondai is clean.” He shrugged easily, blowing off Connie’s concern. While it would be nice to have a real bed to sleep in, his car was comfortable, clean and safe, so he didn’t really see what the big deal was. He could see how wary Connie was through the call, so he put on a reassuring smile.

“If an opportunity for a better place comes along, I promise I’ll take it, but for now I’m happy where I am.” He said. Connie eased up slightly, nodding.

“Ok, you better mister.” She pointed a finger at the camera threateningly, making him smile. His watch beeped loudly, and he checked the time.

“Ok, that’s my cue. I’ll text on my break?” He said, rubbing the back of his neck. Connie nodded. “Have a good day, biscuit.” She said, waving at the camera.

“You too, berry!” He waved back and ended the call, slipping his phone into the pockets in his shorts.

He looked up towards Mr Pines, who was still standing behind the counter awkwardly.

“Sorry about that, I woke up a little later than usual this morning.” He said apologetically, walking up the counter. Mr Pines stared ahead for a second in thought, before turning to Steven.

“How long have you been sleeping in your car?” He asked, immediately jumping past a normal entrance to the conversation. Steven winced slightly, he wasn’t aware that his conversation had been loud enough to be overheard.

“I’ve been on the road for a while, so a few months?” He answered, mentally going through his journey up until this point. He’d left beach city during the early spring, and it was now the beginning of summer, so he’d been gone for at least 3 months, and besides the occasional hotel, he’d mostly remained in the confines of his car. He could see the gears turning in Mr Pines head, his fingers started tapping the table in thought. Steven immediately back-pedalled.

“It’s really not so bad though, really, I’m fi-” He stopped himself in his tracks, causing Mr Pines to look over to him.

“I mean, sometimes it’s really hard, but It’s the best I can do for now, so I’ve learned to be happy with what I have.” He said slowly, relaxing against the counter slightly. Mr Pines sighed, and for a second, Steven thought he’d drop the conversation.

“Well, you’re about to get an upgrade! I have a few spare rooms in the Shack, you can choose between the attic or the small bedroom.” Mr Pines pat Steven on the shoulder with a wide grin, outstretching his other arm to the door that led to the house. Steven smiled nervously.

“Mr Pines, that’s really kind but-” He was cut off as Mr Pines pushed him towards the door, Steven planted his feet, causing Mr Pines to come to a grinding stop.

“No buts, you just promised to that girl that you’d take a better offer if you found one, and look at that, I’m offering it to you!” Steven sighed, running a hand through his hair. Slowly, unwillingly, he began to walk towards the door to the house.

“Are you sure?” He asked, turning back to look at Mr Pines. He didn’t even flinch, crossing his arms with a straight face.

“I’m sure, plus, my sister thought it’d be a good idea to send my nieces up here for the summer and you’re great with kids!” He confirmed. Steven sighed, seeing Mr Pines wasn’t going to change his mind, and walked through the door.

The inside of the house was just as unnatural and strange as the gift shop, with various figures and objects lining the walls. It was a truly unique house, and quaint in a way that Steven couldn’t put into words. Despite the strange decoration choices, it was oddly welcoming.

“How many kids will be coming here?” Steven asked as he walked through the living room, taking note of his surroundings. Surprisingly, he didn’t feel that uncomfortable feeling that he often felt when in someone else’s home.

“Just two girls, they’re twins so they kind of came as a package deal.” Mr Pines informed. Steven nodded.

“Then I’ll take whichever room is smallest, kids need their space.” He said. Mr Pines shrugged and lead him through the house. They walked through a long hallway, eventually stopping at the door at the end. For some reason, there was only one door lined in the hall, despite the fact it could easily host several rooms.

Mr Pines opened the door, revealing a few steps that went down into an empty, dusty room. The walls and floor were bland and undecorated, and despite the small bed in the corner, the room was completely empty. There was a single balcony window high off the ground, looking out into the forest around the shack. Steven walked inside, the sound of his flip fops echoing off the concrete.

"I know it’s not much, but feel free to decorate it all you like, as long as you’re the one paying for it I don’t care what you do to the room. Hell, cover it with pink for all I care.” Mr Pines said casually. Steven winced slightly, sitting on the bed. It was clearly old, with various lumps in the mattress, but it was much softer than the seats in his car.

“I probably won’t be painting anything Pink.” He looked around the empty room with a small smile. “Really? With the pink jacket and that I kind of thought pink was your favourite colour.” Mr Pines pointed to the gem sitting in Steven’s stomach, and he protectively placed a hand in front of it.

“By the way, can I sell that? I’ll give you a cut of the profits!” Mr Pines continued, putting on a fake business smile. Steven laughed slightly, uncovering his gem.

“Sorry, It’s kind of attached to me, you’d have to sell me as part of the deal.” Mr Pines snapped his fingers, looking away at the loss of profit.

“You’re lucky that you’re a good employee, otherwise I would. Speaking of, you should get back to work. The gift shop won’t stock itself.” Steven stood up, and Mr Pines turned to walk back to the gift shop.

“Mr Pines?” Steven called. Mr Pines turned back around, looking at him. Steven smiled brightly, grabbing his left arm.

“Thank you.” He said, putting as much appreciation into his voice as possible. Mr Pines rolled his eyes. “Yeah, whatever kid, don’t mention it.” With that, he turned and walked away. Steven allowed himself to smile for a few more seconds, looking around his new room, before he turned to catch up. After all, he still had a job to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stan knows what it's like, he can't let a perfectly good kid go through the same stuff he did. Also, Steven's healing! No more "Fine" for him!
> 
> Now has a tumblr!  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/defying-gravity-au


	3. Prepare for trouble!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AND MAKE IT DOUBLE
> 
> The twins finally arrive in Gravity Falls!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: There is some misgendering towards Dipper until Steven and Stan find out his true gender, but this will be the last of it!

Steven woke up gently, feeling the warm sun beams hitting his face from the uncovered window. He opened his eyes, noticing the blanket he’d placed over the window as a makeshift curtain had fallen onto the balcony. He’d left the window open last night, as the room got rather hot due to the summer heat, so the wind must’ve blown it down at some point. He sat up in bed, stretching his arms as his bare feet landed on the red rug he’d bought for the room. From outside the room, he could hear the pleasant sound of birds singing and he smiled slightly. He had a feeling that today would be a good day.

Though he’d been staying in this new room for a few days, he still hadn’t had a chance to decorate it properly. He’d managed to find a cheap rug in town, as well as a small table for his phone and a few picture frames, and a set of drawers for his clothes, but besides that, the room was still fairly empty. Nevertheless, he was happy with the room, and Connie seemed pretty relieved that he’d found a place to stay. He sighed as he thought of her, standing up as a small wave of disappointment washed over him. Just as she’d set off for Gravity falls, her car had decided to break down, and she couldn’t get it seen for another three weeks, which meant he would have to wait a lot longer for her to visit. He still hadn’t found any clues or hints about the forcefield around town, but Mr. Pines had been kind enough to give him the day off, so he planned on exploring the forest.

He quickly got dressed, choosing to wear his classic black star shirt and blue jeans, but adding a red flannel jacket as well as a pair of sneakers. He would probably be out late, and he really didn’t want to end up stumbling through the dark forest in a pair of sandals. As an afterthought he picked out a dark purple beanie and placed it over his hair, pushing some of the curls into his face. Thankfully, the weather was kind enough to allow for his clothing choices, sitting at a comfortable temperature Steven could only hope remained. He couldn’t figure out why the weather was so strange in this town, after all, he grew up on a Beach, he should’ve been used to warmer weather, but Gravity Falls took hot to a new extreme.

He quietly left his room and walked through the house, mindful of Mr Pines. One thing he’d learned during the time he’d occupied Mr Pines spare room was that he woke up a lot earlier than he did, and unlike the gems, humans tended to need sleep, so he’d had to adjust, doing his regular morning routine a lot quieter. He shuffled into the kitchen, only to pause in surprise seeing Mr Pines already awake. Unlike the suit he often wear during the day, Steven was surprised to see Mr Pines chose to normally wear Pyjamas around the house, which was definitely more sensible. He was hunched over the stove, tapping his fingers against the counter as he thought. As someone who had many coping techniques of his own, he could recognise one where he saw one, he’s gotten quite good at reading people. He knew that pearl tended to cover her mouth when she was upset, that Amethyst pulled at her hair when she was anxious, and that Garnet pushed up her glasses when she was collecting her thoughts. So far, he’d been able to deduce that when Mr Pines tapped his fingers he was stressed out about something.

“Morning Mr Pines.” Steven greeted quietly, taking a seat at the table. Mr Pines jumped slightly, spinning around.

“Jeez kid, I need to put bells on you or something, you’re too quiet for your own good!” He clutched his chest and Steven smiled apologetically.

“You’re up early!” He noted brightly. He wanted to ask Mr Pines what he was thinking about, but he’d learned that Mr Pines was a very private man. He had to be the first one to open up, otherwise he’d shut Steven out. Mr Pines sighed and walked over to the kitchen table, taking a seat on the opposite end.

“Yeah, the nieces are coming today and my sister threw them on the earliest bus she could.” He revealed, leaving his arms against the table. Steven gasped in excitement, his smile widening as his plans of exploring the forest immediately evaporated. When he wasn’t busy helping out the shack or buying furniture for his own room, he was giving tips to Mr Pines about how to interact with his family. He’d also helped Soos set up the attic space for the girls, easily carrying the beds with his superior strength. The knew that they were coming soon, but he didn’t know that it was today!

Mr Pines didn’t see his excited smile, too busy staring at the table.

“I know I gave you the day off, but d’you mind moving that to tomorrow? I figured I could put ‘em to work in the Shack, so I was hoping you could help ‘em out.” He asked, rubbing the back of his neck with a shrug. If Steven wasn’t already smiling, that would’ve made him smile. Though the request sounded simple enough, Steven knew it took a lot to ask for help, so he was proud of the old man.

“Of course! I don’t mind at all.” He immediately answered. Mr Pines took a breath of relief, his confident smile returning once more.

“Great! Be in the gift shop in ten minutes or you’re fired.” With that, he left the kitchen, heading back into the house-presumably to get ready for the day. Steven quickly prepared his breakfast, simply opting for a few bites of toast. He hadn’t been able to find any protein shake mix in town, but Connie had assured him that she’d bring some when she finally managed to get here, so until then, he’d have to get used to having actual breakfast.

By the time he’d finished his breakfast and gotten to the gift shop, Mr Pines was already behind the counter counting money. He waved brightly, immediately grabbing the broom from the corner to begin his daily routine. Time passed by quickly as he cleaned, and before he knew it, it’d turn from 6am to 8am. The time the Mystery Shack officially opened for business. Even though it opened unusually early, Soos and Wendy normally didn’t arrive until around 10, however, he knew that the bus tours ran earlier than that, so he kept a keen eye on the door. As he stocked the shelves, he could see Mr Pines doing the same, although he tried to make himself look as casual possible. Steven couldn’t tell if he was genuinely excited for his family to visit or if he was just anxious at the thought of having kids around, but he liked to think it was the latter. After all, he could've said no when his sister asked, but he didn’t.

Eventually, Steven could hear the familiar sounds of a large engine approaching and coming to a stop. Mr Pines stood up straighter, grabbing the red fez he often wore from the shelf above the counter.

“Alright, stay here in case any early morning freaks come in looking to buy something.” he instructed, putting on the fez. Steven gave him a warm smile and a thumbs up, barely refraining from wishing him luck. The second Mr Pines was out of the door, Steven had the urge to sprint over the window and watch, but he pushed the urge down. This was a private moment, he didn’t have to be involved. He simply kept working, walking over to the clothesline to prepare the line of merchandise for the day ahead. If he positioned himself so that he had a better view of the door, that was completely his business.

A few minutes later the door opened with the ring of a bell and Steven ducked his head, pretending as if he’d been observing one of the shirts from the clothes pile.

“This is the gift shop. The actual exhibits are all upstairs, but you’re gonna need to pay if you wanna see them.” Mr Pines informed. Steven suppressed a smile and lifted his head up. Even around family, he was the same. He heard an excited gasp and looked around to see a young girl wearing a right pink sweater admiring the store. Next to her stood what must have been her sister, although her hair was much shorter and she looked more reluctant than her sister, with a hunched posture. She looked up, her eyes locking with Steven’s and he smiled brightly.

“Hi there!” He greeted, putting down the box of clothing. The girl in the sweater turned, smiling brightly, showing off a row of shining braces.

“Whoa! Who are you?” She asked, looking up at him in wonder. His heart immediately burst at the preciousness she displayed. Mr Pines walked over, slapping an arm around Steven’s shoulder.

“This is Steven, you’ll be seeing a lot of him, he has the spare room so better get used to him.” He introduced. Steven waved as his name was called, a sense of pressure building on him. Had he made a good impression? The girl in the sweater seemed to like him, but her sister was clearly unsure, looking at him with squinted eyes.

“Hi! I’m Mabel!” The girl in the sweater introduced, holding out her hand. He leant down slightly and shook it gently.

“This is my brother, Dipper! He’s a little cranky from the bus ride so don’t mind him!” Steven looked between them and blinked slightly. In a distant section of his mind, he could feel Mr Pines’ grip on his shoulder tighten slightly, but he didn’t pay any attention to it, reaching out to shake Dipper’s hand.

“Nice to meet you both!” He greeted simply. Dipper looked up at him, slowly relaxing as he accepted Steven’s handshake. Simultaneously, the hand on his shoulder relaxed and fell away and Mabel’s smile widened.

“This is gonna be the best summer ever!” She pumped a fist in the air, pulling her brother closer with her other arm. He smiled slightly, responding by pushing against her head. Steven’s smile widened, watching them interact. He knew today was going to be a good one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case the meaning was misconstrued: Stan wasn't tightening his grip on Steven because he was disagreeing with Mabel about Dipper being a boy, it was more of a subtle warning to Steven to be accepting towards Dipper. The only reason this wasn't explicitly stated by Steven was because he didn't even really consider the possibility of being hateful; of course he wouldn't blink an eye, but Stan didn't know that. Hope it clears things up!
> 
> L zrqghu li wkhuh'v urrp rq wkh Flskhu zkhho iru dqrwkhu vwdu...
> 
> Now has a tumblr! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/defying-gravity-au


	4. nothin to see here folks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven makes a new friend! What a delight!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder who it could possibly be???

Steven expected to be on a beach. He expected to see his home nestled beneath the stone hands of a giant stone figure he now recognised as Onyx. He expected to see what he always saw when he fell asleep. In the time he’d spent travelling, he’d worked a lot on his dream hopping abilities, and he was now practically in full control over his dreams- besides from the occasional nightmare, which were lessening in frequency anyway- and he almost always started on the beach from his home-town. Instead, he was in an endless pink void, one that eerily reminded him of his mother’s room, only without the clouds surrounding it. It was simply pink, shifting in hue the lower he looked, and always expanding. Somehow, the void seemed to be contained in a small, comfortable space, while also remaining vast and unending. He couldn’t quite wrap his head around it. Though he stood on what appeared to be solid ground, objects floated by all around him. Some, he recognised. Connie’s old sword, in perfect condition. Books and CDs of all of his favourite things. His ukulele, a few of his red star shirts and unopened packets of cookie cats. Other items, he couldn’t quite place. A magic 8-ball, the dice set on ‘Ask again later’. Some kind of gemstone trapped inside a bolo tie. Pieces of candy from brands he couldn’t recognise, and several post cards, all littered with writing. He walked forward, taking in the strange new atmosphere.

After turning a corner that wasn’t really there, he came across what looked like a large TV screen without the frame. It took up most of the ‘wall’ and was flickering through images faster than Steven could process. He thought he could make out trees, a waterfall, and a few buildings, but other than that he was at a loss. Mostly, because he was preoccupied with whatever being was floating in front of it. From what he could see, it looked like a giant, floating yellow triangle, with black arms, legs and… was that a top hat? Steven had seen plenty of gems before, but none that looked like this.

“Uh… Excuse me?” Steven yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth to further the sound. He had no idea if the triangle could even hear him or not. It didn’t have ears, but then again, neither did the gems. The triangle did, apparently hear him. Strangely, it’s body didn’t seem to have anything connecting it to it’s limbs, because it was as if it was made entirely out of bricks, all of which flipped around to reveal that the triangle also featured one eye in the middle of it’s… face? Steven also noticed the cute little black bow-tie which matched the top hat and couldn’t hep but smile at the dapper triangle being. Upon seeing him, the triangle’s eye widened in surprise and he shrunk down to a much smaller size, floating over.

“Well hey there star-child! I didn’t realise you could access this place.” The being greeted warmly, the shape glowing as each word was spoken. He wasn’t sure how exactly the triangle talked- it had no mouth- but again, he’d seen weirder stuff, so he quickly moved past that. The being snapped it’s fingers and the TV screen disappeared, leaving only the blank void once more.

“Oh, is this your home? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to barge in.” Steven apologised, rubbing the back of his neck. The being simply waved him off and manifested a white L-shaped couch, much like the one from his home.

“Actually I’m glad you stopped by! I haven’t had company in a long time.” The being explained, floating down onto the couch. Steven joined the being, and a ornate mug appeared in front of him, filled with hot chocolate. He gingerly took a sip, immediately filled with warmth. It was delicious. He let go of the mug, letting it float leisurely through the air.

“Oh! I never introduced myself. I’m Steven!” He greeted, outstretching his hand to the being. Without moving, it’s arm stretched to reach his and they shook on it.

“Bill Cipher! Nice to meet you!” He replied, kicking his feet onto the table that randomly spawned in front of them. He seemed perfectly friendly, which was a big relief compared to some of gems he knew, but Steven wasn’t actually sure what Bill was. Was Bill some kind of gem? Steven couldn’t see any gemstone, and didn’t know any that were similar to him.

“So um… Not to be rude, but what exactly are you?” Steven asked, hoping his question wasn’t too offensive or anything. Most gems were often very proud of their cut and would talk about their duties for hours if he let them.

“Don’t worry about it, you probably haven’t heard of me. I’m a dream spirit!” Bill snapped his fingers once more and a tattered red book appeared in front of him, flipping to a random page. Upon further inspection, it seemed to be a page documenting dream spirits. As he read from the book, Bill continued to speak.

“See, dream spirits are basically protectors of the unusual. Sometimes, we can guard over entire galaxies, sometimes we just guard specific people. I’m the guardian of Gravity Falls! So anyone or anything that steps foot in this town is under my protection! Including you Starchild.” He explained. The book disappeared and Steven turned to Bill with a large smile.

“That’s so nice of you!” He complimented. He’d never heard of dream spirits before, but judging on how kind Bill had been to him so far, he had no doubts the town was in good hands.

Bill waved off the compliment humbly and straightened his bow-tie.

“Yeah, it’s a shame that nobody can see me though, I’d love to talk to some of the residents.” Bill said with a heavy sigh. Steven looked down in thought. In the passage of the book, it had mentioned how dream spirits were completely invisible to humans unless they were asleep, and even then, they were almost impossible to find. He must’ve gotten incredibly lucky to find Bill.

“Is there any way I can help?” Steven offered. Bill immediately brightened, floating off of the couch.

“Well, there is one way but…” He trailed off.

“I don’t just want it to seem like I’m using you for anything.” Bill continued. Steven paused for a moment. He doubted Bill would just accept Steven’s help, but maybe if it was a mutual deal? Bill was the protector of the town, right? So perhaps he knew a way to break the barrier surrounding the town! Bill could help him to break down the barrier, and in return, Steven could help Bill finally talk to people in the real world!

“Well… What if you help me out with something too? That way we’re both helping each-other!” Steven suggested. Bill thought for a moment before outstretching his arm.

“Alright kid, you’ve got yourself a deal!” He accepted. Steven grinned and returned the handshake. The second their hands touched, they were engulfed by a blue flame. For a second, Steven panicked, but as it flickered and died away, he realised it hadn’t hurt at all. It was just pleasantly warm.

“Thanks for the help, star child!” Bill waved his hand, and suddenly, Steven was awake. The sudden return to gravity caused his stomach to rise and fall slightly, but after it was settled, he realised he felt more awake than he had been in a while. He smiled, upon realising that was probably due to Bill. As he got ready for the day ahead, all he could think about was his new friendship. It was by far, the best decision he’d made since entering the town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> VERY IMPORTANT NOTE:  
> I like to describe the Outfit Of The Day (TM) Bc I want to make it clear that in another show there's different rules, one of which is Steven has different outfits. I didn't in this chapter because the whole Bill thing happened, but it's super important for the plot you know what I was picturing; A very fluffy grey cat onesie with little cat heads for sleeves, ears on the hood and a tail. I told you it was important!
> 
> H olhya vm nvsk dpss thrl h mvvs  
> H olswpun ohuk, h iyvrlu avvs  
> Now has a tumblr! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/defying-gravity-au  
> H rpuk zwpypa, mpsslk dpao aybza  
> H kpyaf sphy, mblslk if sbza  
> Avv shal uvd, opz mhal pz zlhslk  
> Aoyvbno kpyaplk ohukz ol thkl aol klhs


	5. Tourist; Trap Remix

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've had this pun sitting on the back burner for wEEKS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This entire fanfic is just a very unsubtle way to show my love and adoration for Stan
> 
> Since Steven in like,,, 17 in this, Stan figures he's old enough to have heard swearing before, lITTLE DOES HE KNOW, THE GEMS WOULD N E V E R. Nobody said he'd be a good role model!
> 
> Warning: PTSD mention

Since Steven tended to wake up earlier than Mr Pines, he’d taken to setting up the gift shop before he woke up. It was a nice routine, one he’d settled into over the last few days. However, now that there were kids living under the same roof, things were different. They both tended to wake up rather early, which meant by the time Steven was ready for the day, Mr Pines was already awake and making the twins breakfast. That of course, meant a new ritual had been created. After the first morning of awakening to the sound of energetic kids, he’d been roped into joining them for breakfast in the morning. None of them minded that he made his own breakfast- Mr Pines’s meals were hardly healthy- they just seemed happy to have him around the table. Well, Mabel was happy to have him there. Mr Pines seemed indifferent and he still couldn’t get a clear read on Dipper. The young boy wasn’t as tense around him as when they first met, but he still seemed relatively closed off. Steven only hoped that Dipper would open up in time. From what he’d seen, when he was around his sister, Dipper was much more energetic and lively.

Though since leaving Beach City, his fashion sense had increased largely, he still often stuck to wearing old star shirts of varying colour, with the most common one being white. He wasn’t sure why he was still so attached to these shirts, but it was always nice to go back to basics. He walked into the kitchen to the smell of sizzling bacon and eggs, bubbling away in the pan. Dipper was hunched over the table, making notes in a familiar notebook, while Mabel happily kicked her legs underneath the table, bopping her head to some invisible song. Stan stood by the oven, moving around the frying pan with practised ease. Strangely, it’d already become a familiar scene. Walking through the strange yet homely interior of the shack, arriving in the kitchen to the pines family, conversing over breakfast before heading to work.

“Morning!” He greeted brightly, heading over to the fridge and pulling out a protein shake contained in a light blue flask. After some thorough investigation, he’d managed to find a shop that did sell protein shakes similar to the ones he was used to. They were nowhere near as good, but hopefully, Steven wouldn’t have to live with them for long. Connie had promised to bring some along with her when she showed up. As the days got closer to her arrival, he could only become more and more excited.

“Morning Steven!” Mabel greeted warmly, waving energetically with a wide smile. Dipper briefly looked up from his notes to greet him as well, with Mr Pines only giving a lazy wave in acknowledgement. He sat on one of the free chairs, unscrewing the lid of his shake. Mr Pines plated breakfast, passing a plate to Mabel and Dipper before grabbing one for himself, sitting in the last free chair. Upon seeing Steven, he rolled his eyes.

“Seriously kid? That’s the fifth day in a row that I’ve seen you wear that star shirt. The tourists are gonna start to think we have some sort of star theme going on.” He complained, gesturing to Steven’s shirt. Steven smiled apologetically.

“I don’t really have many mystery themed shirts.” He explained, rubbing the back of his neck. Mr Pines put a hand to his face in thought before standing up and leaving the table without explanation. Steven shrugged and began to drink his protein shake.

“I like your shirt! It’s really cool! And look, we match!” Mabel offered, gesturing to her brightly coloured sweater. While Dipper always seemed to be adorned with the same orange shirt, shorts, jacket and star hat, Mabel’s outfit changed daily, always featuring brightly coloured sweaters that she made herself. He was always impressed by them and her creativity. Today she’d chosen a dark pink sweater adorned with a shooting star, three lines of colour trailing from behind them.

“Yeah! And with Dipper’s star hat, Stan’s really the odd one out.” He grinned brightly, showing off his star shirt more with an exaggerated pose. Mabel did the same, and though she implored Dipper to, he simply sighed and began to eat his breakfast.

“Although, I’m sorry Steven, I can’t support your decision to wear Flip Flops.” She sighed and shook her head in disapproval.

“They’re comfortable!” He defended. Dipper looked up at him questioningly at the same moment as Mabel, both of the seemingly incredulous at the idea of flip flops being comfortable. Before he could continue, Mr Pines walked back into the room and threw a green shirt at Steven.

“There. All my employees wear this shirt so you’ll at least fit in.” He sat back down at the table and Steven unfolded the shirt to see the familiar question mark logo he always saw Soos wearing.

“I’ve never seen Wendy wear this.” Steven commented lightly. He often saw her wearing green flannel. The only indication that she worked at the shack was the name tag that she wore. Mr Pines raised an eyebrow.

“Wendy doesn’t live at my house.” It wasn’t really a threat, and Steven was tempted to point out that neither did Soos, but he wasn’t trying to argue against the shirt. After all, he thought the design was actually really cool. He’d even complimented Soos on it when they’d first met. So instead, Steven simply shrugged and stood up, removing his old shirt to replace it with the question mark shirt.

He heard twin gasps as he did so, and looked down to see both Mabel and Dipper staring at his gemstone. Right, he always forgot that having a gem instead of a belly button wasn’t exactly normal. Mr Pines, having already seen it, didn’t react more than a roll of his eyes, continuing to eat his breakfast.

“There’s a gemstone in your belly!” Mabel whispered excitedly, inching closer to the exposed stone.

“Is it some kind of piercing?” Dipper asked, reaching out his hand toward the gem. Steven stepped back slightly on instinct, smiling nervously. He quickly put on the large green shirt, most of which hung from his body. Instantly feeling much less exposed, he sighed in relief and re-joined the table.

“Actually I was born with it.” He explained. Dipper immediately pulled out his notebook and wrote something down, clicking his pen sporadically.

“That’s so cool! Can it light up? Does it hurt?” Mabel gasped loudly before continuing.

“Do you have magic powers?” She practically yelled. Dipper looked just as interested, looking at him as if Steve had all the answers. It had been a long time since anyone had been impressed by his gemstone, and while it usually made him feel slightly uncomfortable- the thought of them only seeing him as his gem briefly entered his mind- they had such a pure sense of wonder and curiosity he couldn’t help but melt slightly.

“It glows sometimes yeah, it doesn't hurt any-more, and yeah, I can do all kind of magical things!” He answered with an equally excited tone.

“Doesn’t hurt any-more? So it used to? How were you born with a gemstone? What kind of gem is it?” Dipper jumped in. Steven’s smile slipped a little. Dipper’s questions were… a lot more personal than he liked, and he wasn’t really sure if he could answer them. Luckily, he didn’t have to.

“Alright alright, don’t be going filling their heads up with crazy nonsense, you still have a job to do.” Mr Pines jumped in, standing up from the table. Steven looked up at the clock, revealing that it was in fact, opening hours at the shack. Whether Mr Pines had noticed Steven’s sudden change in attitude or not, he was glad for the save. The twins groaned loudly, complaining and reluctantly leaving the table.

The day wore on without much more questioning, everyone busy with their work. As Soos came in, he noticed Steven’s shirt and greeted him with a fist-bump, congratulating him on ‘joining the club.’ He didn’t know what club he’d joined, but he was happy nonetheless. Currently, he was sweeping the floor as Wendy worked the register and Soos fixed one of the many malfunctioning light-bulbs in the shack. There always seemed to be something in need of fixing, so Soos always had work to do. Steven brushed by Dipper who was busy cleaning various glass jars, sweeping the floor with a happy tune. He looked up as Steven walked by.

“Hey, how come you never work the register?” Dipper called out. Steven paused, leaning against his broom as he thought back to his first day.

_Mr Pines stood behind the register, punching in buttons as Steven watched closely._

_“Now remember, no matter what the customer complains about, there are absolutely no refunds.” He shut the register and Steven nodded._

_“Now, pretend I’m a customer.” Mr Pines walked_ _around_ _the counter, grabbing one of the_ _snow-globes_ _from the shelf and placing it on the counter._

_“Good morning! Did you have a nice time visiting the Mystery Shack?” Steven questioned happily. Mr Pines nodded._

_“Conversation is fine when there’s only one or two_ _customers_ _and you’re tying to butter them up, but when you have a line, you want to move as quickly as possible.” He instructed. Steven nodded before continuing on._

_“So, are you a fan of snow-globes?” He gestured to the snow-globe with an interested smile. Mr Pines put on a fake smile._

_“Why yes, I do good sir! Why do you ask?” He replied in an overly sweet manner. It was clear he wasn’t used to it_

_“We actually have a large range of varying snow-globes! Would you be interested in seeing them?” He questioned. They continued for a few minutes, Mr Pines only occasionally breaking character to give Steven notes, before they reached the final sales. Steven had managed to convince the ‘customer’ to purchase 10_ _separate_ _snow-globes to Mr Pines’s delight. Apparently, he was a master at swindling. He didn’t really understand it, after all, he was only being nice as usual, but Mr Pines seemed to be happy with how well he was doing, so he continued. He pressed the buttons on the register as Mr Pines had shown him and read the top number before repeating it to the customer. Mr Pines passed over a few notes of money and he opened the register. He stared at the stacks of money in thought. What had Mr Pines said about giving change? He couldn’t_ _remember_ _. He looked up at Mr Pines._

_“So what do all the little symbols mean?” Mr Pines raised an eyebrow._

_“What, do you not know how money works or something?” He asked, crossing his arms. Steven shrugged. He generally just gave out the $100 notes he carried around and stores usually gave him back his change. Even when he was younger, he just assumed people knew what to give back, he’d never bothered to learn the values himself._

_“Not really.” He confessed. Mr Pines sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose._

_“We’ll… We’ll fix that later. For now, you can just work the floor.”_

“Apparently I need to know how money works first. Mr Pines has been teaching me in his spare time and I think I’m getting better!” Steven answered. It only seemed to send Dipper spiralling deeper into his thoughts, scribbling in his notebook and uttering under his breath. Steven continued to sweep, only pausing to wish Dipper good luck as he ventured into the forest to hang up signs, followed closely (and secretly) by Mabel.

“Steven, with me, I wanna show you something.” Mr Pines called. Steven placed the broom against the wall and quickly followed Mr Pines outside. They walked to the side of the shack, where an old podium stood. A bumpy object was sat on top, covered by an old red sheet. Mr Pines pulled off the sheet to reveal a plain grey rock.

“Behold! The rock that looks like a face rock!” Mr Pines introduced proudly, gesturing to the rock. Steven walked closer, his eyes lighting up in recognition as he made out the face.

“Oh wow! That’s so cool! Did you sculpt this?” He gently put a hand on the rock, feeling all the cracks and crevices. It almost felt like it hummed. Stan rubbed the back of his neck at the compliment.

“Nah, I’m not that talented. I just found it in the forest!” Steven continued to feeling along the statue until he froze. His hand ran over smooth stone, a completely different texture from the rest of the stone. He turned it around and gasped lightly. Half buried in the stone was a grey pearl gemstone, blotched with the usual signs of corruption.

“Oh you poor thing.” He whispered. Without thinking, he grasped both edges of the gem and pulled it out of the rock.

Mr Pines vaulted forward, managing to catch the rock before it fell to the ground.

“What gives?” He yelled, throwing his hands in the air. Steven stared at the stone in his hand and smiled nervously.

“Sorry, I should’ve given you a warning first.” Mr Pines walked closer, staring at the gem.

“Wait, is that a Pearl? D’you know how expensive those things are?” He pointed at it and Steven pulled away slightly.

“So, it turns out, your rock that looks like a face rock was actually a gem that looks like a rock that looks like a face rock.” He explained in a rushed voice, hoping to bubble her before she reformed. Mr Pines wasn’t staring at him, however, too busy looking at Steven’s hand. He turned his head and his heart filled with dread as he watched the pearl in his hand begin to glow and float. He was too late.

“Get behind me.” Steven quickly instructed, standing one foot forward and fists balled. Mr Pines looked at him incredulously.

“What the hell is going on?” Steven summoned his shield and Stan stumbled back, staring at it.

“Holy shit, you actually do have magic.” Steven couldn’t answer him, attention solely on the reforming Pearl.

At first, it took the tall, slender form of a Pearl, the bright outline surrounded by long flowing locks of hair. Until it corrupted, shifting into a much larger and spindly creature. A loud thud hit the ground and Steven stared at the corrupted monster. It stood on it’s hind legs, form taking the shape of a large praying mantis with dark grey skin. Pure white hair trailed onto the floor and into the creatures face, obscuring its eyes. As it turned to face them, Steven could see a glint of colour through the thick mess of hair on its back. It saw them and snarled a deep, animalistic snarl.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?” Mr Pines yelled, pointing at the gem monster. Its head turned to him and it fell onto four legs, pouncing towards him. Mr Pines yelled in surprise and threw his arms up in front of him. Steven quickly moved in front of Mr Pines, extending his shield up to the sky. The gem landed on the shield and Steven braced against the ground before pushing against it, sending the creature flying to the ground. It crashed through the grass before righting itself on four legs.

“Get to safety! I can take care of it!” Steven ordered, turning to face the creature.

“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?” Stan yelled. The creature ran at Steven once more, switching to an upright position as it used its sharp arms to swipe at him. He dropped his shield to dodge the swipes, waiting until it was close enough to summon his bubble, causing the creature to fall on its back. It stood up once more, this time remaining on four legs. It tapped experimentally on the bubble and snarled when it remained, beginning to circle the bubble. With its attention fully on Steven, he once again turned to ask Mr Pines to go, but when he looked, there was no-one there. He sighed in relief and-

_Pain was all he could feel. It surrounded him, infected him, lived in him. Everything was so… loud. He was confused, and afraid, and angry. All he could see was blurs, his mind was gone. It was cold. Empty. Alone. No-one could reach him here. Curled inside a nestle of thorns. Unlovable. Untouchable. A monster._

-dropped the bubble. The creature was right in front of him and it howled in glee upon the disappearance of the bubble. Steven stumbled back, his mind racing. He didn’t know what had caused it, the sudden stream of memories that had entered his brain. But they stung, and suddenly, he couldn’t fight any-more. He could hardly breathe. He backed into a tree as the creature followed his movements. He used to be like her. How could he fight her? What was he doing? She was hurt and afraid and… He felt sick. He knew he had to poof her, but he couldn’t move. She stalked forward and raised her twisted arms, ready to strike.

Steven closed his eyes… Until he heard a loud while coming from the creature. It was pulled backwards suddenly and threatened to tip over backwards, failing to balance itself on two legs. Instead, it crashed forward, revealing Mr Pines clinging to its long hair tightly. His legs secured around its waist and it grabbed it from around the neck. Steven watched with an open mouth as the creature bucked wildly, trying to shake off Mr Pines. He refused to loose his grip, instead pulling back the head of the corrupted gem.

“Take that you freak of nature!” He yelled before pulling even harder. The creature stood up and squealed before beginning to fall backwards. Mr Pines grabbed hold from the front and pressed tightly and the creature exploded into a burst of grey clouds. The gem began to fall towards the ground and on instinct Steven reached forward, a bubble appearing around the gem at the last second. Mr Pines grabbed his hat- which had fallen off at some point during the fight and placed it back on his head. He dusted himself down before walking over to Steven.

“You alright kid?” He asked, offering out his hand. Steven took it and shakily stood up, breathing deeply. He closed his eyes and began to count, just as his therapist had taught him.

“I’m ok, are you?” He asked, opening his eyes once more. He’d mostly stopped shaking, most of the feelings of guilt and memories replaced by pure shock. Mr Pines had fought a gem creature to save him… And won.

“I don’t think that’s what you should be worried about. Mind telling me what that thing was?”

And so he did. He talked about his family, as well as what the gem creature was, he talked about himself, vaguely skipping over any sections including his mom, he talked about Connie, and little home-world, and his powers. Mr Pines nodded as he finished his explanation.

“Alright just… Don’t tell the kids will you? I don’t want em to get in any dangerous situations.” He asked. Steven nodded.

“I won’t, I promise.” Put at ease, the two walked back into the Mystery Shack and continued their day. Steven made a note to call his therapist later, and sent the corrupted Pearl to the centre, contacting Amethyst about her as he did so.

That night, Steven sat around the table with Mr Pines, Dipper and Mabel. Somehow, Dipper had lost his star hat and had replaced it with a blue pine-tree cap from the gift shop. Mabel found, out of all things, a grappling hook, and was excitedly telling Steven all about it.

“So how was your day?” Mabel finally asked as Mr Pines placed food on the table. The two of them shared a look and Steven nodded.

“Nothing too exciting, how about you guys?” He questioned. Mabel and Dipper glanced towards each-other before Mabel answered.

“Yeah, same here!” With a wide smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figuring out what a Corrupted Pearl monster looks like and how it acts was actually pretty easy! Actually Showing that? Writing it down? Less so! Also yes, while this is Steven's POV for the most part, I want to make it clear he won't be a Huge part in the main Gravity Falls story, he's a supporting character who is just getting the spotlight and changing Some things around but he's not gonna like,,, Save the entire Universe, because at the end of the day, it's not His story.
> 
> Now has a tumblr!  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/defying-gravity-au


	6. Fishing Season

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven joins the Pines family on a Fishing trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has the funniest joke you'll ever read.

The twins had just gone upstairs to bed, and Steven was close to following them. No matter how long he’d been travelling, he still wasn’t much of a night owl. He loved waking up with the sun and sleeping with the sun, it was just how he was. However, before he could retire to his room, Mr Pines asked for a minute. Briefly, he wondered if he had any more questions about the gem that had attacked them the other day, but they’d had plenty of opportunities to talk and Mr Pines had never brought it up. As it turned out, it was much simpler than that.

“So, it’s fishing season tomorrow down at the lake and I’m taking the kids which means you get the day off.” Mr Pines explained.

“Oh man! I hope you guys have fun! I’ve never been fishing before but I bet it’ll be great!” Steven replied in excitement, smiling widely. He had the day off? What was he going to do? Maybe he could finally explore the forest? Bill might have an idea. Ever since they’d made the deal, Bill had been giving him really cool information about the town. Apparently, the supernatural was real and there were a bunch of different creatures that lived here. Bill had even shown him a hideout for gnomes, it was great! He’d also mentioned that there were three journals hidden somewhere in Gravity Falls that held a lot of answers and explained a lot about the town, so Steven had been considering looking for them.

“You’ve never been fishing? Aren’t you like, 20?” Mr Pines asked incredulously.

“I’m 17 actually, I guess I just never had the chance.” Steven shrugged.

“Well. Guess there’s gonna be one more person joining us tomorrow.” Steven looked over at those words with an open mind.

“But-” He shut his mouth at Mr Pines glare. When he wanted something, he usually got it, and apparently, he wanted Steven to go fishing with them tomorrow. It was better to just accept his fate.

“Yay fishing!” He accompanied his words with jazz hands and a nervous smile, and Mr Pines nodded in satisfaction. Steven shelved his journal hunting adventure for some other day as he walked back to his room. Despite knowing he’d lose valuable time, he was actually kind of excited to go fishing. Of course, he wouldn’t actually fish for anything- hurting any type of animal would be too much for him- but he really enjoyed spending time with the Pines family, so it’d hopefully be a lot of fun.

Cut to the next morning, which had him tightly gripping to the top handle in Mr Pines’ car as well as the bottom of his seat. The twins were bouncing around in the back and Steven found himself continuously looking back to make sure they were ok. Somehow, even though they were wearing blindfolds, they didn’t appear to be very bothered by how reckless Mr Pines was being with his driving. Perhaps it was because they couldn’t see all the swerving, sharp turns and close calls with other cars. Somehow, during this 5 minute drive, Mr Pines had managed to out-do Pearl when she was being chased by the cops.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive?” Steven asked desperately, his eyes fixated on the road.

“No-one drives this car except me.” Mr Pines reiterated for the fifth time. Steven regretted not just taking the Dondai. Just as Mr Pines said that, he made another quick turn, this time directly towards a dead end. He squinted at the blocked off road, and before Steven could warn him about it, crashed right through. The wood splintered and flew around the outskirts of the car, landing on the sides of the road. The car swerved to a stop as he and the twins screamed, and he braced against the hand clutch. As the car finally stopped Steven finally relaxed, heart pumping with adrenaline. He lowered his hand and heard a worrying snap from the direction. He gently uncurled his hand to find the hand clutch still sat in his hand, the metal broken off from it’s place on the ceiling. He winced and placed the broken handle on the dashboard, reminding himself to borrow some adhesive glue from Soos when he next saw him. Mr Pines, seemingly unaffected by the danger, whistled a jaunty tune and exited the car, closely followed by Steven and the kids- although the three of them had much shakier legs. Steven looked out at the lake and sucked in a harsh breath at the beautiful sight. The water was clear and almost appeared to sparkle under the afternoon sun, with rocky cliffs outlining most of the body of water. Grassy hills led down to a single, wooden dock, marred with age but still seemingly stable. Small fishing boats, canoes, and even one larger boat floated on the water, most of them filled with familiar looking townspeople Steven sometimes spoke with when he entered the town, but a few of them were being used by tourists. Above the single dock hung a banner, happily proclaiming some kind of annual fishing event.

Looking out over the water, he felt a strange pang in his heart. Though it was no beach, just the sight of water filled him with a sense of nostalgia for his old home. Suddenly, all he wanted to do was jump into the lake and swim, to let the cool water wash over him and let his worries melt away. Instead, he unpacked the fishing gear from the trunk of Mr Pine’s car. First, he pulled out a set of fishing rods, which despite from being slightly rusted, didn’t look to be well used. Next, a tattered bag, one which Mr Pines had specifically instructed him not to look inside. A few other things followed. A red box with an unpleasant smell, four pristine orange life-vests, a few bottles of sunscreen which Steven had packed himself, and a large red book titled ‘1001 yuk em ups.’ Steven brought over the equipment just as Mr Pines had revealed their location to the kids. He quickly grabbed the tattered bag and opened it.

“C’mon, you kids are gonna love it! I even made matching fishing hats!” He pulled two tattered, brown fishing hats from the bag and passed them to the twins. They both looked at them with slight distaste and suspicion, as if not trusting Mr Pines’ words. He pulled out another two hats and replaced his fez with one before passing the other to Steven.

“I had some spare letters and some thread and I wasn’t about to waste my money so here.” Mr Pines explained as he did so. Steven looked down at the hat. It was worn and old, slightly sagging and falling apart. Along the top, four brightly coloured letters were haphazardly stitched into place. The were lopsided, the E was placed on backwards, and the entire thing only spelled ‘Stev’ as if the hat had ran out of room for the last two letters. He looked at the hat with a warm smile.

“I love it.” He said, putting it on with a grateful grin. Mr Pines puffed up in pride, although he tried to hide it.

“Eh, don’t get used to it.”

By the time they put on their life-vests, got into their boat, and sailed far enough away from shore to actually fish, their group had somehow whittled down to two. Dipper and Mabel had instead decided to join Soos in his boat to go searching for whatever a ‘gobblewonker’ was. Steven couldn’t take his mind off of the old man who’d claimed to see the creature. He couldn’t help but feel bad for him, especially since everyone had just laughed him off. Steven wasn’t sure who he was, but he made a note to find out during the weekend. Between searching for the journals and finding the poor old man he’d seen at the docks, it was looking to be a more and more productive weekend. He heard Mr Pines sigh and snapped back to attention, seeing him stare at his own reflection. It was obvious to Steven that Mr Pines was hurt that the kids had chosen to spend the day with Soos rather than him, but he seemed at least a little glad that Steven had still chosen to go with him.

“Is everything ok?” Steven asked. Mr Pines continued to stare out at the water, watching his own reflection wearily.

“Just fine.” He ran a hand through the water, causing his reflection to ripple. As he did so, he sat back up and cracked a wide smile.

“You know what? We can have fun without those kids, just us fishing buddies!” He leaned an arm around Steven’s shoulder and Steven smiled before doing the same. Of course, Mr Pines didn’t really mean it, but if it’d help him feel better, Steven was willing to go along with it.

“Yeah! That’s the spirit!” He cheered. Mr Pines ruffled his hair in enthusiasm and Steven ducked slightly, laughing as he recalled the gems doing the same thing.

“Hey! Wanna hear a joke?” Mr Pines asked, pulling away. Steven nodded enthusiastically. He loved jokes!

“Ok, here it goes…” Mr Pines leaned forward with a wide smile.

“My Ex-Wife still misses me…” He paused for a second, lingering before the punchline.

“But her aim is getting better!” He swung out his arm with a wide grin. Steven paused for a second as the punchline hit him, before bursting out into laughter. Mr Pines looked at him with wide eyes before joining in, their loud laughter filling the air. As they began to calm down, Steven shook his head.

“That was a good one Mr Pines!” He complimented with a smile.

“Hey, call me Stan!” He corrected, elbowing Steven slightly. Steven smiled wider.

“Stan.” He repeated.

For a while, the two of them continued sharing jokes with each-other, ranging from cheesy, to goofy, to being so bad they were good. They only stopped as a familiar boat whizzed by at a high speed, sending a wave of water flying high into the air. It crashed into them, soaking them with icy cold water, and suddenly, Steven didn’t want to go into the water any-more. Luckily for him, he’d only chosen to wear an old grey shirt and cargo shorts, and his life-vest stopped most of the water from getting onto his shirt, but Stan was much less lucky. Drenched in water, he almost looked like a sad old dog. He took off his fishing hat and his grey hair flopped into his face, causing him to sigh loudly. Steven failed to suppress a snicker as Stan wrung out his hat. He glared at him through foggy glasses.

“Not a word.” He threatened. Steven plastered on an innocent grin, even as he continued to snicker. Part of him mourned that he left his phone at home, this would’ve been a perfect moment to capture. As it turned out, the boat that had sped by them, was in fact, Soos’s boat. They’d only found that out after the three of them had floated alongside them in the wrecked rubble of a water filled boat, which was still miraculously working.

After a very touching reuniting scene in which Stan accepted Dipper, Mabel and Soos onto the boat, the five of them spent the rest of the afternoon together. Somehow, Soos had lost his shirt, and Dipper had found a disposable camera, but Steven didn’t really question it much, not when he was having such a good time. He posed for the photos whenever he could, including taking one with all of them in to send back to the gems. It was a great afternoon. Stan successfully threaded a needle with his eyes closed- thanks to some cheating. They told more jokes, all of which were hilarious, no matter what Dipper claimed. Speaking of which, he managed to successfully catch a fish! Mabel was incredibly proud of him, and Dipper seemed rather proud with himself, and luckily, they had released the fish back into the lake after they’d caught it. They posed for pictures in various ways, Mabel implored Steven to lift her in the classic titanic pose and Stan did a rather good Napoleon impression. They (without his approval) stole fish from other peoples boats, which somehow managed to end in them being chased by the lake police. It was always fun to spend time with the Pines family, but the day was quickly becoming the most fun day he’d had in Gravity Falls.

“Hey Steven! I bet you can’t balance on the edge of the boat!” Mabel called with a wide grin. He smiled and stood up.

“I beg to differ!” He countered. She cheered as he walked over to the edge of the boat and light stepped up, spreading his arms out to keep balance. The boat rocked slightly, but he managed to remain upright. She and Dipper looked at each-other with mischievous smiles before walking towards him in sync. Before he could protest, the pushed him backwards. Quickly he grabbed hold of them, and all three of them were sent careening into the water below. The cool water rushed over him once again, this time not stopped by the orange life-vest and soaking him head to toe. Though he wasn’t pushed under far, he could see the lake bottom below, the sparkling sand rippling slightly. He’d let go of Dipper and Mabel during the fall, but he could see them floating alongside him, both seemingly as interest in the scenery as below. The life-vests, as it turned out, were completely useless, acting more as a fancy orange jacket over than anything else. Luckily, they all knew how to swim, so it wasn’t that big of a deal, and the boat was right above them so they could surface at any time. As they were about to swim to the surface, a large shape passed underneath their feet, slowly swimming across the ocean floor. Dipper grabbed Mabel’s arm and pointed at it with wide eyes and they swam to Steven, excitement and fear in their eyes. He continued looking at the strange lake creature as it turned towards them, as if sensing their presence. The creature had a wide body and an elongated tail, with large fins curling outwards. It’s long neck stretched forward onto a head decorated with green gills and dark green eyes. It moved fluidly, clearly a creature used to water, and as Steven looked closer he noticed something else. An upside-down tear shaped blue gem sparkled on it’s forehead. A Lapis Lazuli.

Steven acted quickly and pulled the twins close to him as the monster advanced. His bubble appeared around him, filling the atmosphere with air. He gasped, not realising how long he’d been holding his breath. Dipper and Mabel looked at the bubble, stunned.

“You can make giant hamster balls?” Mabel questioned eagerly, with sparkles in her eyes.

“How is this possible?” Dipper asked, reaching out to touch the bubble. The Lapis began to swim towards them, showing off the full extend of its size. Steven didn’t have time to answer his questions, simply sectioning off the twins into a separate bubble and taking a deep breath before popping his own. He swam towards the lake creature and it open it’s mouth, showing rows and rows of pointed teeth. He summoned a shield just as it snapped its jaw shut, causing the shield to become stuck inside it’s mouth. It pressed down on the shield, trying to break the weapon. As it was distracted, he summoned two large pink hexagon barriers, aiming them for each side of the Lapis. They rammed into its sides at a high speed, at the same time as Steven widened his shield. To his relief, the Lapis instantly poofed from the combined pressure and he quickly swam to collect the sinking gem. After the gem was secured in a bubble and teleported away, he turned back to where he’d left Mabel and Dipper. They both stared at him with wide eyes and opened mouth, a combination of curiosity and awe clear on their faces. He smiled nervously and popped their bubble, before the three of them returned to the surface. Immediately, he was tackled by Mabel.

“That was amazing!” She shook his shoulders in excitement.

“So it was real! What was it? How did you know how to fight it? How did you summon that bubble? How long have you had those powers? Where did-” Dipper continued to ramble, asking so many questions at such a rapid speed that Steven had no chance of keeping up. He looked around, noticing that they’d somehow drifted a fair distance away from Stan’s boat.

“Ok, I know you’re curious and I promise I’ll tell you, but let’s wait until we’re back at the shack ok?” The twins huffed in annoyance and impatience, but nevertheless agreed and the three swam back to the boat.

Later that night in his room, he finished re-telling his story to the twins. He felt bad about breaking his promise to Stan so soon, but he knew there was no way to avoid the conversation and he couldn't lie. Keeping things about himself hidden just… Wasn’t who he was any-more. On the bright side, Dipper had definitely opened up more during their conversation, seeming to take on a less suspicious manner and a more intrigued one the longer they talked. As he finished his line of questioning, he paused.

“Have you noticed anything weird about Gravity Falls?” He asked. Mabel looked towards her brother with a curious expression, but he kept his eyes on Steven.

“Actually yeah! There’s this weird magical barrier that is kind of keeping me inside town.” Mabel gasped and shook her brother’s arm.

“You should show him the Journal! Maybe he’ll know what some of it is about!” Steven looked between them questioningly. Dipper pulled out a familiar tattered red book from his inner jacket pocket and showed the book to Steven. He gasped, recognising it as one of the journals Bill had told him about. He opened his mouth to tell Dipper so, before remembering what Bill had told him. Even though Bill was excited to finally talk to the townsfolk, he wanted to be the one to introduce himself, so he’d asked Steven to keep his identity a secret for now.

“What is it?” He asked instead. Dipper immediately launched into an explanation, and Steven sat on the edge of his bed, listening intently as he recounted his run in with the gnomes. He flipped through a few pages, but Steven couldn’t recognise anything that looked remotely gem-like.

“Sorry, but thanks for telling me about this.” He smiled slightly. Dipper nodded.

“Just, please don’t tell anyone. Not even Grunkle Stan knows about this.” He pleaded.

“I promise.” The three of them smiled at each-other before Dipper and Mabel retired to their rooms. Steven sighed and collapsed onto his bed. He was gonna have to start and make a list of all these promises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I TOLD YA! I'm in love with the ex-wife joke, so I Had to put it in!
> 
> This fanfic/AU now has a tumblr! Check it out for Cool Details!  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/defying-gravity-au


	7. Steven makes friends with everyone, the fanfic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> read the title

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's time for my favourite character! He is my DAD and I love him

Steven walked through the brightly lit streets of the town, waving merrily to most of the townsfolk he saw when he wasn’t too busy staring at his phone. After nearly bumping into a lamppost for the third time, he decided to just sit on one of the benches outside of town hall until he’d finished on his call with Connie. He still hadn’t gotten used to the winding roads of Gravity Falls, so he wasn’t completely confident he knew where he was going anyway.

“Where are you headed again?” Connie questioned as he sat down. He glanced over at the screen, seeing her sat on the trunk of her car, a lunch box placed next to her on the bonnet. She’d stopped driving for a break, and had used the opportunity to surprise him with a call. Needless to say, he was surprised, but happy to hear her voice. He was incredibly excited to see her once more- her calculations said that she’d be here by Thursday. That was only four days away!

“The dump!” He excitedly answered with a wide smile. Connie took a bite out of her sandwich and looked at him.

“Aren’t you dressed kinda nice to be going to the dump?” She crooked her head to the side. Steven’s heart beat a little at the compliment, looking over at his outfit. Black jeans, a red and white striped shirt, and a blue cropped denim jacket, it was really a mix and match of different styles. Of course, he kept his precious flip-flops. Though, he was going to the dump, maybe trainers would have been more sensible… He’d had a different reaction from the inhabitants of the Mystery Shack when he showed off his outfit for the day. Stan had rolled his eyes and told him that ‘It looks like a hipster threw up on you.’ While Soos, on the other hand, had stated ‘Loving the stripes Dood, they’re so slimming!’ so really, it was on both ends of the scale.

“I like looking nice.” He answered with a shrug. At the end of the day, what other people thought of his fashion sense didn’t matter, as long as he liked the way he looked.

“You do!” Connie reassured. She finished her sandwich and then squinted at the screen.

“Oh hey, Is that a new necklace? I didn’t even notice it!” Steven looked down in surprise, half forgetting the jewellery himself. He gently unclasped it and brought it closer to the camera for Connie to get a closer look at, smiling as he remembered how he’d gotten the jewellery.

_Steven appeared in the same pink void as he had been for the past few nights with a wide smile, instantly navigating the blank state until he came across Bill. Upon noticing Steven, he smiled (as much as a triangle with only one eye for a face could smile anyway) and floated over._

_“Heya Star-child! I’m loving the new look!” He greeted, flicking the bobble at the bottom of Steven’s black nightcap. He looked down at the long sleeved yellow_ _pyjama_ _shirt and black_ _trousers_ _he’d chosen to wear, not even realising that he matched with his triangular friend until right then. Steven smiled._

_“Thanks! How are you?” Steven questioned, going to sit down. A chair appeared underneath him as he did so, as usual. While he hadn’t quite wrapped his head_ _around_ _how this void space worked, he knew a little about it, like how if he wanted something, it’d usually appear. Much like his mom’s room, it wasn’t actually real, so while he could eat and taste a donut in the void, he’d still wake up hungry._

_“Better now that I get to see my favourite person!” Bill outstretched an arm around Steven’s shoulder and he couldn’t help but blush at the compliment, looking at the ground humbly._

_“What about all that Pines family? How’ve they been doing?” Bill questioned with interest, floating away to summon his own chair._

_“Well, Stan was pretty upset about losing the head of the wax figure Mabel made of him, but she and Dipper managed to find it again so he’s much happier now.” Steven mentioned offhandedly, grasping for a mug that instantly appeared. Though the drinks here were fake, the hot-chocolate tasted just like the ones Pearl made, and he couldn’t resist at least getting to taste it. Bill looked over, leaning back into his chair casually._

_“I wonder why that is.” He mused, before shrugging it off. Steven smiled slightly. He’d spent the majority of the day thinking about it too, after all Stan didn’t often get upset, and it seemed like more than just upset Mabel’s art had been ruined. He felt like Dipper had been affecting him a little, since he’d pretty much only spent his time either comforting Stan or coming up with theories about why he was so upset. Heck, at one point, Steven had even considered that maybe Stan was hiding a secret twin! He chuckled at the thought. It sounded more like one of Ronaldo’s many conspiracy theories than anything_ _substantial. Steven and Bill quickly moved onto other conversation topics, as well as a game of cards- Steven won, for once- before he felt the familiar sensation of his body waking up. Bill looked towards him._

_“Oh! Before you go! I got a little gift for you!” Bill summoned an item and quickly wrapped his hand around it, before transferring it to Steven’s and curling it up so he couldn’t see._

_“I hope you like it! See you tomorrow night Star-child!” Bill waved goodbye cheerily, and Steven waked up, a small smile on his face. In curiosity he looked at his right hand, which was, in fact clenched shut. He opened his hand, revealing a small, gold necklace, with a triangular pendant sat in the centre. He smiled wider at the kind gift, and instantly clasped it around his neck, not even pausing to think how the item managed to transfer into the real world._

“Yeah! A friend got it for me.” He said, reattaching the necklace. Connie smiled, closing her lunch-box.

“That’s nice! I’m glad you’re making friends.” She said, smiling through the camera proudly. Steven smiled giddily, and blew her a kiss.

“Enjoy your day driving!” He wished. She opened her hand to catch the invisible kiss.

“I will! Enjoy your day at the dump!” She wished back.

“I will!” The two waved at each-other and Connie ended the call. He stood up from the bench, pocketed his phone, and began on his journey once more. After 10 minutes and 3 wrong turns, he finally managed to arrive at the dump. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but neatly organised piles of trash, separated by the occasional stack of crushed old cars, was not it. It seemed to have a strange, orderly sense to it, as if the workers of the dump were left with so little to do that they turned to making the dump as homely as possible. He thought he could even smell air freshener, although that could just be from the dashboards of the piles of cars. In the centre of the dump, a rusty, metal shack hung precariously, the only thing in sight that wasn’t organised neatly, with various cans, strips of metal, and old bottles littering the floor outside. A faded red sheet hung from a scraped out entrance much like a make-shift door. Steven looked around, before politely knocking on the rusty metal wall and stepping back slightly. A shuffling noise came from the other side, followed by a wild scampering and a raccoon burst out from under the curtains. It bumped into Seven’s legs and looked up with an arched back, tense. Steven smiled at the animal and waved. It blinked at him, and it’s posture loosened before it continued to scamper away. A few seconds later, the curtain opened once more, this time revealing an old man- not just any old man, but McGucket, the old man he’d been looking for. His eyes darted around, before making eye contact with the raccoon that had managed to crawl up onto a rather precarious pile of garbage. He hissed at the animal, and the raccoon hissed back before jumping off the pile and disappearing into the distance. McGucket shook his head, muttering something under his breath that Steven couldn’t hear. He looked up, and appeared to notice Steven stood there, and his expression immediately brightened.

“Well howdy there stranger!” He greeted with a wide, toothless grin. His eyes were looking in two separate directions, yet he seemed to be rather focused on Steven. Steven smiled back.

“Hi! My names Steven!” He greeted, outstretching his arm. McGucket outstretched his own arm- covered in faded bandages- and shook it.

“What brings ye here young feller?” He questioned, dropping his arm to his side.

“Oh, well I just moved here recently and I wanted to meet some of the locals!” McGucket’s smile widened in delight and he jumped up and down a few times.

“Well I always accept visiters! Come on in!” He gently grabbed Steven’s arm and pulled him through the red curtain. Much like the outside, the inside was disorganised, mostly filled with random scraps of metal, including a large gold bucket, and a few tires scattered around. A shelf precariously hung from the wall, filled with various pieces of metal, tools, and strangely, an unsolved Cubix Cube.

“Take a seat! Can I getcha somethin’ to eat?” He walked over to a fire-pit and grabbing the metal prod sitting on top, tearing off a slice of meat.

“No thank you.” He politely declined. He sat on one of the piles of tires, leaving the only actual chair for McGucket. He shrugged and bit into the meat, before climbing onto the chair and crouching in the seat.

“Wanna hear ‘bout the time that I got married to a raccoon?” He questioned brightly. Steven chuckled.

“Sure!” He answered enthusiastically.

Old man McGucket, he’d found, was a treasure. He seemed so animated and lively, telling his stories with a kind of energy Steven wished he had. He’d sometimes scramble over words, or use the wrong words, or just make up a new word completely, and while it was an odd quirk, Steven found it endearing anyway. He seemed happy to answer any questions Steven had, and he was actually super smart! After telling a story where he chased three people in a giant lake monster robot, which Steven was pretty sure matched Dipper and Mabel’s story about the Gobblewonker, he’d shown Steven a series of scientific blueprints, showing a number of bizarre inventions. It seemed to be one of McGucket’s strong points. Steven had noticed that his talking seemed to get clearer and movements less erratic when he talked about one of his inventions, as if it was something he was completely familiar with. He’d had a fun time, the two of them sharing stories and sitting in McGucket’s hut. Steven was slightly sad at the state of his living situation, but he seemed to be happy, so that was really all that was important. He hadn’t even realised how long he’d spent with the older man until his watch beeped, signifying it was 5pm. The Pines family would probably be expecting him back for dinner soon. He waited until McGucket finished another one of his stories and smiled, standing up.

“I’ve gotta get back, but am I ok to come visit you again sometime?” He questioned, dusting himself off. McGucket cracked a wide smile.

“Well sure! The door’s always open!” He gestured to the red curtain. Before he turned to leave, McGucket snapped his fingers.

“Oh wait! Before ya go!” He jumped up from his chair and ran to the corner of his hut, sticking his head into one of the piles of garbage. He rummaged around for a minute, tossing aside various pieces of trash, before finally unearthing what he was looking for with a triumphant whoop. He ambled over to Steven, waving the object in his hand. A black circular object was placed in his hands. He turned the ball slightly so see a small plastic screen, and a blue triangular dice floated inside. It was a magic 8-ball.

“What’s this for?” Steven asked curiously. McGucket beamed.

“Well… I don’t get guest often, and I really appreciated ya comin’ to see me! So I gottcha a gift!” He explained. Steven smiled at the ball in appreciation.

“Thank you! I love it.” He said genuinely. McGucket looked away bashfully.

“Jus’ take care a Pythia for me, will ya?” He gestured to the magic 8 ball and Steven nodded.

“I will.” He promised.

Steven said his goodbyes and walked out of the hut, looking up at the evening sky. Though it was nothing like the skies in Beach City, Steven loved the view of the setting sun. A sky tinted with hints of orange and dark blue, swirling into the clouds and showing a few stars beginning to shine through. Steven walked out of the dump and smiled, before turning his attention to the 8-ball in his hand.

“Hey there Pythia! It’s nice to meet you. Are we gonna be friends?” He asked the ball with a smile. Sure, people might think he was weird, talking to an object as if it was alive, but after seeing Lapis trapped in the mirror,he’d always treated objects with some form of sentience. He shook the ball and stopped under a street light to see the answer.

‘Signs point to yes’ He grinned and quickly brought out his phone to take a picture.

‘Look what I got! -S’ He kept walking until he heard a cheerful ping on his phone.

‘I bet Garnet would love that! -C’ Steven chuckled at that, shaking his head. He continued to walk, half paying attention, half texting Connie, until he looked up and realised he had no idea which was to turn. He scratched his neck, looking from the left to the right. He was almost certain that the Mystery Shack was to the right, but a second opinion wouldn’t hurt.

“Pythia, do you know which way I should go?” He asked, shaking the ball.

‘Left’ Read the ball. He looked between the crossroads, between shrugging and turning left. It led to a long street which curved to the right and had a wooden bench at the corner. He could make out three figures sitting on the bench, and as he walked closer, he could hear their conversation.

Sat on the left hand side was a girl with frizzy, brown hair, kept back by a light blue hairband. A silver beaded necklace sat around her neck, shining under the streetlight. In the centre was a girl with long blonde hair, hunched over slightly as she scrolled through her phone. To the right sat the third girl, with short cut burgundy hair, who seemed to be in conversing with the first girl.

“I love being rich.” She stated, gesturing to her pink nails. The first girl ran a hand through her hair with an upturned smile.

“Me too. Having a ton of money is the best.” The girl in the middle rolled her eyes in boredom.

“You guys have said that like, ten times. Find something new to talk about.” She commented with a sneer, immediately returning her attention to her phone. The third girl looked at her in confusion.

“Why would we wanna do that?” She questioned. The girl in the middle huffed silently, offering no answer. The first girl stood up.

“We have to get going anyway.” The third girl followed her up, and the two walked away, not even pausing to say goodbye. The girl remained sat on the bench. She dropped her phone into her lap and looked out at the buildings, giving a sad sigh. Steven approached the bench and cleared his throat.

“Excuse me?” The girl startled slightly, before turning to look at him with a harsh glare.

“What?” She bit out, looking over in distaste. Steven simply smiled brighter. It almost reminded him of Peridot, back before she was on their side. He quickly checked the time. Though he would most likely be late, he couldn’t just walk by and let this girl be sad, not if he could at least offer a little comfort.

“Am I ok to sit here?” He questioned, gesturing to the bench. She looked at him, then at the bench, and slid over to the other side, crossing her arms. He smiled gratefully and sat on the bench. The girl returned to looking at her phone.

“I’m Steven!” He introduced brightly, outstretching his arm. She glanced over with distaste.

“I’m not touching that.” Steven shrugged and dropped his arm without further comment.

“What’s your name?” He tried next. She flipped her phone shut and looked over with a raised eyebrow.

“You don’t know?” She asked incredulously. Was he supposed to know? Maybe she was famous here, like Sadie!

“I’m new in town.” He explained. The girl puffed up and put a hand to her chest.

“Well, I’m Pacifica Northwest. Daughter to the richest family in Gravity Falls.” She introduced smugly.

“Oh that’s cool! My dad’s rich too!” He responded excitedly. She looked him up and down, clearly in disbelief.

“Really?” He nodded brightly and grabbed his phone, scrolling through the photos until he found one of him and his dad with Pearl at the fancy hotel they’d visited when they’d found out he was rich.

“He’s a famous rock-star!” Pacifica looked at the photo and nodded, before returning to her phone once more. Steven looked up to the sky once more and took a photo.

“It’s really pretty here.” He said. She closed her phone with a sigh.

“Why do you keep trying to talk to me?” She questioned in annoyance, crossing her arms. Steven continued to look up at the night sky and thought. Sure, Pacifica looked sad, and that was part of the reason but… When those girls were on the bench with her, she seemed really… Lonely somehow. He didn’t know how to explain it. He was pretty good at reading people, but they seemed to be her friends, so he didn’t understand why she’d be lonely with them. He looked down.

“You looked like you needed a friend.” He answered honestly. Pacifica stared at him with an open mouth, several looks passing over her face. Disbelief, anger, humiliation, shock, and finally a look of acceptance. She looked up at the sky.

“I guess the sky does look pretty nice like this.” She admitted quietly. Steven smiled slightly. They continued to sit on the bench for a few minutes, before Pacifica finally stood up.

“I have to get home, but…” She paused.

“Thanks.” Steven nodded and rose from the bench with a smile.

“If you ever need company, you should come to the Mystery Shack. I work there and there’s two really sweet kids that I’m sure would love to meet you.” He invited. Pacifica waved non-committally and continued to walk away.

“Bye!” He yelled, waving slightly. She paused, turned, and offered a wave in return, before continuing down the street. He grabbed Pythia from the bench.

“Good call.” He praised the ball. For a second, he thought he saw a glint of blue light pass over the ball, but it must’ve just been from the street lights above, since it was gone before he realised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fIDDS FIDDS FIDDS FIDDS, oh yeah also a magic-8 ball that's actually psychic, but,,, y'know,,, Fidds! And Pacifica! She's gonna be getting that Sweet Sweet Redemption Arc (Also sorry this chapter took 20 years to write, I got Pokemon let's go Pikachu and I literally couldn't stop playing)
> 
> I have a tumblr! It features Outfits! Character designs for the Gem Ocs! Plus bonus art by my girlfriend! Check it out if you like behinds the scenes stuff or you were just curious about my writing process! I take all criticism and comments, If you wanna say "this is great" I'll be like "u rite" and if you wanna say "this is terrible" I'll be like "u rite" so come ask me stuff!
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/defying-gravity-au


	8. Tunnel vision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pythia isn't the only psychic in town...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is gonna be a,,,, Ball

Steven walked into the gift shop with a proud smile, holding Pythia under his arm. He’d suggested to Stan that he could perhaps use his new gift with the customers, and while Steven mainly just wanted to have fun with his new gift and show it off to as many people as possible,. he knew that Stan would be able to see the opportunity . And so, ‘Steven 8-ball Mysterio’ was born. He was due to start his shift in a few minutes, which meant he’d be spending most of his day sat away from everyone else, so he thought he could quickly say hello to Wendy and Soos. The other reason he was smiling, was because Stan had finally relented in letting Steven wear whatever he wanted to work. Asking nicely had gotten him nowhere, but Mabel had come up with a back-up plan, to incorporate the question mark shirt into as many gaudy outfits as possible until Stan eventually broke. The straw to break the camel’s back was his current outfit- the green question mark shirt paired with short blue denim overalls and of course, his triangle necklace, which had now become a stationary item in his clothing style. Stan had taken one look at him, and told him that Steven could wear whatever he wanted as long as he never saw a pair of overalls ever again. Really, Steven didn’t know what Stan was complaining about, Steven looked great! He assumed that Mabel had also been pestering him while he was away. She was a force to be reckoned with. Soos stood by the vending machine with a tool box in his hands, though he seemed more interested in his conversation with Wendy, Dipper and Mabel. Steven walked over with a bright smile.

“And then birds came out of his hair, it was super cool.” Soos said.

“Watcha talking about?” Steven questioned. The gang looked up.

“Sup Steven.” Wendy greeted with a nonchalant wave. Soos held out a fist bump as he greeted Steven, which he immediately reciprocated.

“I was just telling everyone about this wicked ad for some psychic thing in town.” Soos explained. Mabel nodded excitedly and Dipper rolled his eyes sceptically. Steven’s smile widened and he outstretched his arm, showing off the 8-ball McGucket had gotten him.

“Oh yeah? I have a cool psychic thing too!” Soos gasped in excitement.

“No way! Mr Pine’s has a giant one in the shack, but he never lets me use it.”

“You can ask her a question if you want! I still have a little while until I need to set up my booth. I’m using it as an attraction!” Dipper raised an eyebrow, and Soos smiled and bent down so he was at eye level with the ball.

“Oh great and knowledgeable 8-ball, I seek your wisdom.” He closed his eyes solemnly, placing a hand over his heart.

“Will I have a super awesome day today?” He questioned. Steven shook the ball, and Soos, Steven and Mabel crowded around it to see the answer.

‘It is decidedly so.’ He punched a hand into the air with a victorious yes.

“Oh! Let me try!” Mabel pleaded. Soos stepped out of the way and she grinned at the ball.

“Hi Ms 8-Ball!” Mabel greeted.

“Pythia!” Steven informed. Dipper’s ears perked at that.

“Like the greek oracle?” he asked. Steven looked at him and shrugged. He hadn’t named her after all.

“Hi Pythia! I’m Mabel! Tell me, do I look good in this sweater?” She span around in her sweater, and Steven shook the ball.

‘Yes- definitely.’ She gasped excitedly.

“She really can see everything!” Dipper rolled his eyes.

“8-balls are just cheap junk. They can only answer to yes or no questions. Look! I’ll prove it!” Mabel huffed at her brother’s sceptical nature and moved aside. He stared at the ball.

“What’s your name?” Steven shook the 8-ball.

‘Ask again later’ He crossed his arms triumphantly.

“See!” He gestured to the ball.

“It’s because you were mean to her! Let me try!” Mabel pushed Dipper out of the way and smiled apologetically at the ball.

“I’m sorry about my brother, he can sometimes be a little rude. I’m sure that if he knew you were the real deal, he’d apologise, right?” She nudged her brother with her elbow and he winced slightly, before reluctantly responding with a yes.

“So, can you please just tell us your name?” Steven shook the 8-ball. They all waited with bated breath, crowding around the ball. The dice inside glowed a faint blue for a brief second, before settling.

‘Pythia.’ Dipper gasped in shock, and Mabel crossed her arms smugly.

“It actually worked!” Dipper bounced on the edge of his toes excitedly, immediately reaching for a pen. Mabel nudged him again, breaking him out of his excitable trance, and he immediately dropped into a meek expression.

“Oh. Sorry for saying you were fake.” He said to the ball, scratching his arm uncomfortably. He probably still felt weird speaking to her as if she was alive.

“Hey Wendy! Wanna try?” Wendy looked over casually.

“Nah, better not to mess with that junk.” She declined. He shrugged and smiled at the group.

“I better set up for the day anyway, see you later!” They waved their goodbyes and Steven walked through the hall into the museum exhibit room, where a small section had been covered with haphazardly placed blankets and lights. He walked through one of them into the inside of the makeshift tent and sat on one of the pillows, waiting for his first visitor.

It’d been at least 20 minutes, and he hadn’t had a single visitor. In face, not a single customer had passed by through the museum all day, which was definitely odd. Although, Soos had mentioned there was a psychic attraction in town, so maybe that’s where everyone was? He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t mind spending a little time alone anyway. He briefly thought about texting Connie, but he wasn’t sure if Stan would appreciate him texting during work. He looked over to Pythia, which he’d placed on a small silver pedestal on the table, much like a crystal ball. He picked her up.

“How’s Connie?”

‘She misses you.’ Pythia answered. He blushed and smiled, his heart warming. He missed her too. Only a few more days…  
”Ooh! Can you predict her future?” He questioned excitedly.

‘She’s right.’ Was the only answer he recieved. He stared at the dice in thought. Right about what? He shrugged. Maybe… He could ask some questions about other people?

“Can you tell me more about Stan?”

‘Which one?’ Steven repeated it aloud and frowned. What did she mean by that? Maybe there was another Stan in town? Or maybe she wasn’t sure which Stan he’d been talking about. After all, there were probably thousands of people named Stan.

“The one who runs the mystery shack!” He clarified, shaking the ball again.

‘Not what he seems.’

“What do you mean by that?” He asked quietly. He couldn’t help but feel the beginning of a foreboding sensation. Should he really be messing with this stuff? There was no doubt in his mind that Pythia really could predict the future,or at least, see more about the world than should be possible, but he remembered the first time Garnet had told him about future vision. How paranoid it’d made him. Then again, he’d befriended Bill, who also seemed to know a lot about the town and about it’s residents, and nothing bad had come from that, so he was sure Pythia wasn’t too dangerous.

‘He can’t keep it hidden.’ Still. The comments about Stan were slightly alarming. He decided to move on. Who else could he ask about?

“D’you know about Bill?” He asked, since the triangle was on his mind anyway, he might as well see what she knew.

‘He’ll get what he wants.’ Steven smiled at that. Bill had mentioned wanting to finally talk to the residents of Gravity Falls, it was good to know that his plans would succeed! He made a note to tell Bill when he next visited Steven’s dreams.

He continued to question Pythia about the townsfolk, with varying answers. The most commonality was that her answers were still vague, but he felt like they had a certain… Weight to them. He’d asked about Dipper,

‘In his own head’

About Mabel,

‘She is the key’

About Soos,

‘Smarter than he looks’

About Wendy,

‘A cool facade’

About Mgcucket

‘His eyes are closed’

Heck, he’d even asked about Pacifica!

‘This isn’t what she wants.’

Finally, he’d run low on townsfolk, before remembering about the new psychic in town. Sure, he didn’t know their name, but hopefully Pythia would know who he was talking about.

“What about the new psychic? Can you tell me about them?”

‘412 Gopher road’ An address? Perhaps where they lived?

“Maybe something a little more specific?” He requested sheepishly, shaking the ball.

‘Long live the king’ The text simply read. Before he could puzzle out what it meant (not that he’d had much luck with the others either) the entrance to the make-shift tent drew open. Wendy peered through the pile of pillows.

“The kids are insisting to go see that new psychic show, Stan wants you to tag along to make sure they don’t get suckered into buying any cheap garbage.” She notified him, although he was sure Stan had asked Wendy, who’d then passed the task to Steven. Not that he minded! He loved spending time with the twins.

“I’ll be right there!” He stood up, accidentally knocking over one of the poles. Like a chain reaction, the whole tent came crashing down, and Steven found himself being buried by a pile of blankets. He stuck his hand through the pile and gave a thumbs up to Wendy before slowly resurfacing from the pile. Wendy simply rolled her eyes and walked away, a gesture that had become so familiar over the past few days he couldn’t help but smile.

By the time Steven, the twins, and Soos made their way to the tent of telepathy- which he’d been informed was indeed the set-up of the town psychic, Gideon- the sun was just beginning to set into the forest. Apparently, he’d been in his pillow fort for a lot longer than he thought. Steven walked into the tent with awe and excitement, immediately bringing out his phone to take pictures. The tent was a calming pastel blue, with support beams placed along the outskirts. They connected along the top, and golden fairy lights were hung from the three rafters in the centre, lighting up the tent. Along one side was a small concession stand, selling merchandise for the show, as well as pop-corn and other snacks. Rows and rows of chairs were placed on the grass, faced towards a wooden stage, which was currently covered by a large red curtain. Despite the simplified look, Steven could see large industrial lights hanging from the rafters, as well as a large set of stereos on either side of the stage, and wiring running along the bottom. He walked towards the concession stand.

“D’you guys want anything? It’s my treat!” He offered.

“They got nachos?” Soos asked, pointing to the table. Steven turned, and grabbed one of the boxes of nachos, passing it over to Soos. He nodded in appreciation, looking lovingly at the food.

“Grunkle Stan will probably kill me if he found out we spent any money here.” Dipper declined, shrugging. Mabel didn’t seem to have the same concerns.

“Popcorn with gummy koalas and chocolate sauce!” Mabel yelled, half at the air, and half at the vendor behind the stall. The worker looked over questioningly, but Steven just shrugged and handed over the amount of money for it. The vendor completely Mabel’s order with a very concerned look, and then Steven turned back to Dipper. Dipper glanced at one of the cans of Pitt cola, before dropping his glance casually and whistling. Mabel grabbed his arm and started to pull him over to their seats, where Soos was already waiting. Steven grabbed two cans of the soda and followed them to their seats. As he passed Dipper he outstretched the drink to him.

“Don’t worry, it’s our secret.” Steven whispered in a conspiratorial tone, winking for added effect. Dipper looked at the drink hesitantly for a moment for relaxing and grabbing it with a grateful smile.

“Thanks.” Steven sat in his chair and the four of them began to talk, waiting for the show to start. Eventually, the curtains started to pull back, the lights shining an ominous shadow towards… Gideon.

Gideon was delightful! What Steven had been picturing as this old, mysterious psychic, was in fact, an adorable child with a texan accent and freckles. He wowed the audience with tricks and little games, some of which required audience participation. Steven had grown up with magic his entire life, but he was still incredibly amazed at Gideon’s talent. Everyone else seemed to be just as enchanted, with most of the audience laughing and cheering. The only sceptic seemed to be Dipper, who took every opportunity to point out the flaws in Gideon’s act. It reminded him of Connie, and while it had first confused him- why would Connie want to talk about something just to complain? She’d mentioned how it made the experience more enjoyable to her. She’d offered not to, since she didn’t want to ruin the experience for him, but Steven didn’t really mind. Everyone had fun in different ways, and just because he didn’t like to complain much, didn’t mean he couldn’t understand why other people liked to. It was nearing towards the end of the show, and Gideon decided to end it with a bang- by preforming a delightful musical number. He danced around the stage and sang a catchy tune, occasionally pointing at the audience to sense something about them. He even picked out Mabel and knew her name! It was all going so well… So of course, it couldn’t last forever. Gideon put a hand around his bolo tie and asked the audience to stand. At the same time, Steven felt a strange force surround him and dig into his skin, almost as if it was trying to forcibly pull him up. His gem protested, letting out a pulse of energy to negate the effects, and Steven remained sitting, hands clutching the sides of the seat. The rest of the audience stood up- including Dipper, who sounded very confused about why he was suddenly stood up. Steven looked around, taking a hard breath. It must’ve been that energy. He assumed that most of the audience would’ve stood up anyway, but Dipper had said multiple times he didn’t really believe what was going on there was no way he’d want to encourage it. He glanced towards the stage, seeing that Gideon had now reached the end of his performance. He saw Gideon smile at the audience, but his gaze was on him. One hand was still attached to that bolo tie. Hadn’t he seen something like that in Bill’s world? Was it a sign? For some reason, he didn’t feel as relaxed anymore. The audience began to leave the tent and Steven followed Soos and the twins out as they talked about the show.

“What did you think Steven?” Mabel asked excitedly. Steven opened his mouth, ignoring how dry it suddenly was. He could feel the heat of burning stares on the back of his neck. Something about Gideon was… Off. He just knew.

“Yeah. I had fun.” He answered weakly, ignoring the urge to look back. The stares went away. He continued to walk.

His bad feeling about Gideon only continued to grow as he began to spend time with Mabel. Not in the same way that it had in the tent- there was still a sense of something stifling surrounding him, something he could feel from the other side of the Shack- but in the sense of humanity. Upon hearing him arrive at the door, Steven had listened into their conversation. It was more than a little invasive, but he couldn’t get the sense that something was wrong out of his head. He’d hate if something happened to the kids that he couldn’t stop. It was clear to Steven that Gideon liked Mabel, and while it could be seen as harmless, Steven didn’t think it was. Mabel had been on at least three dates with him by now, and she’d made it clear that she didn’t feel the same about him. He’d walked into her panicked rambling a few times, and it hurt that he couldn’t really help her. He wanted to, but he also didn’t want to overstep his bounds. Mabel was smart, clever and resourceful, and there was no way she’d still want to spend time with Gideon if she truly thought he was a bad person. Still, his anxiety continued to grow, until he’d received the news that Mabel was going to go break up with Gideon herself.

He hummed as he walked out of the Mystery Shack, placing his headphones into his ears. He’d finished for the night, and was about to go on his daily walk, until Mabel and Dipper ran up to him. Mabel started jumping up and down and waving her arms. Dipper was pacing and appeared to rambling about something, so Steven removed his headphones.

“Gideon Is a total creep Steven! He tried to kill Dipper!” Mabel immediately yelled.

“What?” He dropped his headphones and immediately dropped to the ground to get a closer look at DIpper.

“Are you ok? Are you hurt at all? What happened?” His nervous rambling apparently overpowered Dipper’s nervous rambling, and he looked over.

“Yeah, I’m fine. We got something-” He was cut off by Mabel, who pushed him aside slightly.

“He got pushed off a cliff! But I saved him!” Steven’s heart almost leapt out of his chest. What the heck had he missed?

“Can you please start from the beginning?” He pleaded, running a hand through his hair.

“So Gideon tricked me into going up to that old factory, and then he used this to make me float.” The old factory? Steven remembered driving past it on his way into town, but for some reason, it stuck out to him. His mind flashed back to Pythia. Wasn’t… Wasn’t the address for the factory 412 Gopher Road? Maybe she was trying to warn him. He should’ve paid closer attention. Dipper reached into his pocket to pull out what looked like Gideon’s bolo tie and held it up to Steven, bringing his attention away from the factory. In the centre, a smooth circular blue stone sat. He recognised it almost instantly as an aquamarine, although he was unsure as to why it was circular. It clicked in his mind. He’d thought that the sensation he felt when they were at the tent was familiar! Aquamarine’s did have the ability to move objects, some using wands, but most just using their hands. They were similar to Peridot in that way, only they encompassed whatever they touched with an blue glow and they weren’t restricted to only metal.

“Mabel rushed in and grabbed it, and in response he tackled me out of the window and we fell over the side of the cliff.”

“But! I just used the stone thingy to float us all down safely!” Mabel finished.

“I was about to smash it too, but I remember what you said to us about all that gem trapped in objects stuff, and if we found any to bring them to you, so I just pretended to smash it.” Mabel added. Dipper passed him the gemstone and Steven smiled in pride. He was slightly worried- after all, this was at least the third time the kids had been put into danger- but mostly, he was glad they were ok. Although, maybe he should keep a closer eye on the kids, just to be sure. He carefully took the gemstone out of the bolo tie and bubbled it, sending it away.

As he sat down later that night with Stan and the kids to watch a movie, his mind kept returning to the magic 8-ball that currently sat in his room. He’d gone up to the factory during his walk, and it was, in fact, 412 Gopher Road. Pythia had been right about going left before. Though he’d found out the shorter route was indeed to the right, going left had ended with Steven comforting Pacifica. Pythia knew about what would happen at the factory, that much was clear by the address. His eyes flickered over to Stan.

‘He can’t keep it hidden.’ The ball had read. What was Stan hiding? What did Pythia mean when she’d said he wasn’t what he seems? He wasn’t sure, and he didn’t know if he should be worried. A knock rang throughout the living room, pulling him out of his thoughts. Everyone glanced at each-other with disinterest and Steven stood up. He opened the door slowly, yawning slightly as he realised how late it was. He had to blink in the darkness, waiting for the porch light to flicker on, revealing…

His tiredness immediately evaporated on sight as he stared at Connie. She stood at the door in a beautiful black dress, one hand holding a bouquet of pink and blue flowers, the other holding a pizza box. She smiled at him.

“Special delivery.” She greeted.

“Connie!” He yelled. She broke character and grinned widely slinging her arms around him with a wide smile. He returned the hug and pulled her closely, the two of them laughing in exhilaration. Tears collected at the corner of his eyes as he took her in. He’d missed this. He’d missed her. He distantly heard two sets of footsteps approach, but he was too lost in her embrace. They were finally together again. A warm, soft glow enveloped them, and they embraced the feeling, two minds becoming one. From the light, a tall teenager in a green crop-top and a black denim skirt appeared, long hair falling over their shoulders as they opened their eyes. A familiar pink gem shined underneath the light, and they clutched their hands to tighten their grip on the pizza they nearly dropped. They looked around, still smiling widely. Dipper and Mabel stood in the doorway of the living room, their mouths open wide in shock. Stan was unsubtly leaning in his chair to see the scene too, an equally socked expression, only told with his eyes.

“Uh… Hi.” Stevonnie welcomed awkwardly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sorry
> 
> aLSO TUMBLR! I have one!  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/defying-gravity-au


	9. UPDATE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is NOT a new chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work is going on hiatus, read on of you want to know more

Sorry to disappoint anyone who was waiting for the next chapter of this, but this fanfic is going on hiatus.

WHY- My mental health took a bit of a nose dive recently and I've been struggling with motivation. I want to focus on bettering it and hopefully rediscovering my passion for this story.

WHEN WILL THIS COME BACK- I'm honestly not sure, maybe never. I really love this story and I had so many ideas but I can't seem to write anything down.

WILL YOU STILL BE ACTIVE ON TUMBLR- Yes, I decided to devote my energy to answering any questions about the story people had. I planned the entire story up to the ending and past for the gravity falls show, so if you had any questions about how certain storylines or plotlines would work out, please send an ask and I'll answer to the best of my ability

Again, I'm sorry to anyone who was enjoying this, I hope you can understand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very sorry and I thank you all for your patience

**Author's Note:**

> Discussion time: Sometimes I like to talk about what kind of stuff I put in, so for every chapter you're probably going to get a little blurb at the top and one at the bottom! Of course, there's no pressure to read them, but I will be mentioning any potentially triggering content in the top notes for all you poor souls who don't read tags. (I am one of those poor souls) My personal favourite take of this AU is when it takes place after the cannon ending of both shows, however, when it comes to writing, I don't know how much content I could create to pull off the same kind of emotional beats, so I settled for my second favourite take- Steven Post SU:F coming to Pre- GF! That's why Stan is still running the shack! I already have a whole bunch of headcanons I can't wait to explore on further, but I'd also love to add some of yours, so if there's any kind of bonding moments you'd love to see, write them in the comments! My goal for this is to show that Everyone (except Bill) is capable of change.
> 
> kh jrhv wr zkhuh wkh xqlyhuvh zloo fdoo  
> zkhuh slqh wuhhv jurz dqg vkrrwlqj vwduv idoo


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